Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, has dismissed the continued criticisms against President Bola Tinubu’s borrowing policy, insisting that the funds have been productively channeled into developmental infrastructural projects across states in the country.
Onanuga defended the administration’s decision to borrow funds for developmental projects, stating that the current investments in roads and bridges are proofs that borrowed funds are being used for infrastructure development to promote economic activities, enhance connectivity, and open up hitherto remote communities.
He spoke during the media tour of Projects in Benue State by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHAs) in partnership with the Presidential Media team to highlight the projects carried out by the federal and state governments under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.
Defending the borrowing while inspecting Buruku Federal Government Bridge project, Onanuga argued that the various projects were a practical response to the pessimistic Nigerians questioning the administration’s borrowing strategy.
We see that the government has been accused of borrowing money as Nigerians, But we also see where the money goes; to develop infrastructure, to link people who had been forgotten, to ensure commerce flows freely and to enable farmers to move their produce straight to the markets,” he defended.
Buruku Bridge is among the five bridges being constructed by the Federal Government in Benue State to greatly enhance movement between Benue, Taraba and Adamawa states, Onanuga said.
“The bridge will reduce travel time between rural communities and urban centers and also create a strategic economic corridor linking the North-Central and Northeast. The pace of work has been good, especially with officials confirming that funding is not an issue as the project is funded from the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund. “This project will be beneficial to everybody economically,” he added.
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Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Benue State, Mukaila Danlandi, told the delegation that the 854-metre dual carriage bridge which started in 2023 is expected to be completed by December 2027.
He further explained that all the substructures, including piles, pile caps and pillars, had been completed, and precast beams were ready for installation once the water level drops after the rainy season.
There is no issue with the funding. The project is part of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund. He noted that the compensation issues that initially slowed the work had been resolved following the intervention of the Benue State government.
The Deputy Governor of Benue State, Dr Samuel Ode, said the bridge was a landmark intervention that would permanently end decades of dangerous crossings on the Katsina-Ala River.
He was reminded of the many boat mishaps that had led to the loss of lives on the river over the years, but said the project was “a golden gift to the people of Benue State”.
It links the LGAs of Buruku, Logo, Katsina-Ala and Ukum and stretches into Taraba State, making it a critical transport corridor for agricultural produce.
The project would be particularly beneficial to Sankera, regarded as the major yam-producing belt in Benue, by providing direct access to markets in southern Nigeria for trucks carrying yams and other food crops.
“This is a very important connecting road bridging the North-Central and the Northeast. It is going to be a major economic hub in this sub-region,” Ode said.
The RHAs media team also inspected the High Level Underpass in Makurdi, a project of the Benue State government constructed to decongest one of the state’s busiest traffic intersections, the Buruku Bridge across Katsina-Ala River, the Abuja-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi-9th Mile highway, the Wurukum Flyover, the High Level Underpass in Makurdi and Gboko Township.
Other projects included the N15 billion Food Basket Brewery along the Makurdi-Gboko road, where ZEVA Premium Lager Beer and ZEVA Premium Malt are produced.
